February 02, 2013

Soplador de hojas

In Buenos Aires we have yet to see, or hear, un soplador de hojas. I'm sure they exist, they must exist here too, though through our travels in this city the noisy, smelly, disgusting evil of leaf blowers has yet to materialize. And apart from a week in Vancouver at the end of December when they seemed to be going every single day, we haven't heard a leaf blower since the end of September. Living three months in the subarctic of the Yukon tends to help.

There is much noise in BA. The constant sound of construction envelopes us five days of the week, and traffic can be heard all day, everyday. But that annoying sound of leaf blowers has been pleasantly absent from our senses for all these months.

Until we visited the town of Calonia in Uruguay. Every morning the sopladors de hojas are out in force, creating noise, stink and dust.

Leaf blowers are clearly from the dark side.

We need to work together to destroy this evil. Before it destroys us.

And while we are at it, let's get rid of those gas powered bikes that smell and sound like poorly tuned lawnmowers. Either peddle your bike or buy a proper motorcycle.